Master P To Testify At Hip-Hop Congressional Hearing

BET will premiere "Hip-Hop Vs. America" this week, a three-part program featuring some of the most outspoken voices in the black community, including rappers T.I., Nelly and Chuck D, as well as scholars, critics and political leaders.

Hosted by BET personalities Touré and Jeff Johnson, "Hip Hop Vs. America" promises to tackle hip-hop from all sides, calling on the opinions of individuals from within the industry, as well as the Black church, academia and the political realm.

Billed as a candid town hall meeting, the program intends to address the current state of hip-hop, touching on such issues as hip-hop's relationship with police and images of Black women in music videos.

"The battle over hip-hop lyrics, images and values is the flashpoint of conflict and debate between almost every division within our community – between men and women, younger and older generations, between economic classes and educational backgrounds," Reginald Hudlin, President of Entertainment at BET said via statement. "Our special relationships with the most important Black thinkers, icons and leaders allow BET to deliver the most complete exploration of this topic on television. This is the first of many Town Halls that BET will convene to address the most pressing issues facing our community."

This comes just months after the town of Decambre, La. passed an "anti-sag ordinace" which banned sagging pants and offers a fine and possible jail time for any offender.

[Watch here, as rappers like Chamillionaire, Yung Joc and othes speak out on the "no-sag" legislation.]

Along with T.I., Nelly, and Chuck D, the series will see MC Lyte, Reverend Al Sharpton, Cornel West, Mike Jones, Melyssa Ford, Karrine Steffans and Master P sharing their views on hip-hop's role in America.

Part I of "Hip Hop vs. America" premieres Tuesday, September 25 at 8 P.M. and Part II will air Wednesday, September 26 at the same time.

In related news, Master P has agreed to testify at tomorrow's congressional hearing, "From Imus to Industry: The Business of Stereotypes and Degradation." So far Master P, whose real name is Percy Miller, is expected to be the only rap artist testifying at the congressional hearing.

The decision to take part in the hearings follows plans Master P announced earlier this year to clean up his lyrics. The No Limit founder claims he was inspired to make the change after constantly turning down the radio to avoid racy lyrics while he was around his wife Sonya and their seven kids.

"I used to be part of the problem, but I've matured," Master P told New York's Daily News. "I am not trying to take away anyone's freedom of speech. I'm concerned about the constant use of profanity. And it's time to clean up hip-hop in order to preserve it for the next generation."

Master P and his son Lil' Romeo recently released a clean album called Hip-Hop History as a newly-formed group The Miller Boyz. They received an exclusive deal to sell the profanity-free CD in Wal-Mart.